


Some Old Wounds Never Heal

by DemonicSymphony



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Bisexual Male Character, F/M, Implied/Referenced Cheating, M/M, Male Character of Color, Multi, Past Sherlock Holmes/Victor Trevor, Polyamorous Character, Polyamory, Sherlock Being Sherlock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-14
Updated: 2014-11-14
Packaged: 2018-02-25 09:38:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2617169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemonicSymphony/pseuds/DemonicSymphony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sally and Sherlock used to be friends... used to share a flat, friends... even a boyfriend and a bed.</p><p>Then it all fell apart.</p><p>Catie-brie asked, "What if Sherlock and Donovan had been friends way back when before Sherlock or Donovan did something unforgivable/there was a misunderstanding that resulted in the animosity we see in the show now?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Some Old Wounds Never Heal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CatieBrie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatieBrie/gifts).



> Thanks to Ariane DeVere for the transcript of A Study in Pink. To Antidiogenes for cheering me on as always.

Sherlock looked across the pub to where Victor was chatting up a young woman. Before observing her, he took a moment to appreciate Victor’s black, wavy hair brushed back from his face, the way the low light in the pub played over Victor’s darker skin. After he was done, he turned his attention to her. Where Victor’s skin had olive undertones, hers was a deep, gorgeous shade of brown. Her eyes were dark, though he couldn’t judge the color yet, and her hair was a long cascade of natural, gorgeous curls. A smile settled on his face as he crossed the pub and sat beside her. “You want to go into police work… detective, eventually.”

She turned to face him, taking him in, “He was right about you… Take one look at a person and know all about them. Go on, what else do you see. Tell me.”

Victor arched a brow at Sherlock and gestured. Sherlock grinned.

“Well, to start… You’re wondering how it is a relationship with a gay man and a bisexual man could possibly work. Just because I’m not sexually aroused by women, doesn’t mean I’m repulsed by them. I’m rather fond of watching Victor with women...” Sherlock chuckled at the look on her face.

She watched him for a moment before smiling and holding out her hand. “Sally Donovan.”

“Sherlock Holmes.” He grinned as they shook hands. 

Sally looked over to Victor. “He’s not having me on, is he?”

“Not at all, while Sherlock doesn’t really engage women, as he said, he does enjoy watching me. We’ve been searching for a permanent third for quite some time. You and I have been on enough dates we thought it was time to see if you’d like to consider it.” Victor answered, leaning back in his chair.

“You’re also an only child and your grandmother has a habit of spoiling you.” Sherlock followed up as he signaled for a drink.

Sally turned back toward him. “What?”

Sherlock hummed. “Your jewelry. It’s good quality, bit old fashioned but in a classic, timeless sense, handed down but obviously by its original owner. Unlikely if you had siblings you’d have that many pieces. Only child, likely only grandchild. Your grandmother adores and spoils you.”

“That’s- oi fuck off, Victor told you all of that. Had to!” Sally laughed as she shook her head.

Victor waved a hand. “I told you. I didn’t even tell Sherlock what you looked like. He prefers to go into all of this cold. Wants none of my emotions and things coloring what he deduces!”

She reached out and tugged Victor close, kissing him. When she pulled back she looked up at him. “Bit more warning would be good next time.”

“I tried… you just didn’t believe me.”

Sherlock grinned when his drink arrived and he sipped at it. “So what do you say, Sally… will you be our girlfriend or,” he waved a hand, “whatever the vernacular is?”

Sally held up her glass. “To good times and the strangest relationship I’ve ever said yes to.”

As the three clinked their glasses together Victor smirked. “Oh darling, I promise we won’t disappoint you.”

\---

“Sally! Have you seen the shoes Victor bought me?” Sherlock bellowed from the closet downstairs. 

“I moved them to your room you daft bastard… you know, with your clothes?” Sally called out from in front of the mirror where she was adjusting her sari. 

Sherlock could be heard grumbling about not putting them with the rest of his shoes in the downstairs closet and Sally chuckled as she stepped out. 

Victor smiled when he saw her. “You look absolutely radiant. My cousin may toss you out… it’s supposed to be bad manners to be more beautiful than the bride.”

A scoffing noise was heard as Sherlock stole up behind them. “Honestly, must you?” Sherlock murmured. “Though, he is correct. You do look beautiful, Sally.”

Victor turned to inspect Sherlock and smoothed the silk of his kurta over his shoulders. “I knew this shade of purple would look stunning on you.”

“It has a name… At least say it properly. Aubergine.” Sherlock winked to Sally who burst into soft laughter.

She shook her head. “We’re going to be late for the procession if you two don’t stop preening. Move it.”

The wedding was beautiful and Sally found Victor’s family far more accepting than she thought they’d be. Though there were obviously some family members who thought Sherlock was only Victor’s long time best friend, others apparently knew everything, several of them coming up to congratulate her on ‘taming them both’. 

Exhausted by the day long festival, the three of them went home to crash. Victor opened a bottle of wine and the three of them curled up in bed, sharing it and stories of the wedding. When Victor and Sally fell asleep first, as they were often wont to do, Sherlock cleaned up after them and tucked them into bed. He smiled as he tucked a strand of hair away from Sally’s face before climbing into bed himself relaxing into the warmth and relaxation of home.

\---

Sherlock’s jaw twitched as he caught scent of a new perfume. He looked up from his place at the kitchen table as Victor slid by to get something out of the fridge.

“Study group go well?” Sherlock asked.

“Mm, yes. Chloe and Mark had some wonderful insights as to what we can do for this ridiculous group project.” Victor smiled as he opened a hard cider. “Project going well?”

“It’s fine, yes…” Sherlock answered as he started jotting down a few notes.

Victor nodded. “Well, I’m for the shower.”

Sherlock watched him leave and headed straight for the study where Sally was poring over her own books. “He’s having an affair.”

“What!?” Sally’s head snapped up as she looked at Sherlock.

“His group project was done a week ago… he reeks of Chloe’s perfume and he’s gone straight to the shower upon getting home. I don’t think he expected me to be in the kitchen doing the experiment.”

Sally stared at Sherlock and shook her head. “You’re wrong… Victor wouldn’t do that. We’ve been together nearly a year, Sherlock! You two for a year beyond that!”

 _I’m never wrong… I can forgive him, have in the past, but you won’t._ “Perhaps I’m just tired. Got the dates mixed up.”

“Christ.” Sally stared at him a moment longer before softening and standing. “Come on. I’ll make us some tea. Bet you never ate, did you? Toasted cheese and some soup. We’ll watch telly and get some rest. That massive brain of yours overworks itself sometimes I think.”

Sherlock allowed himself to be led to the kitchen, tamping down on the calculations of exactly how much longer he had before their living arrangements imploded.

\---

Sherlock heard her before he got the front door unlocked. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before pushing in. As he shut the door behind him, he found Sally sitting on the bottom of the stairs, Victor’s phone in her hand. Tears streaked her face.

“He took mine by accident, I guess. He was late, rushing out the door… I- I was going to text him, let him know.” Sally held up the phone. “You were right. You fucking knew you were right why didn’t you _say anything_!?”

She was shouting by the end of it as she glared at him. “You- you fucking pushed him into this! He wants a bisexual boyfriend, not one who won’t touch his girlfriend most of the time.”

The accusations weren’t unexpected, but they hurt more than Sherlock thought they would. Mycroft’s voice echoed in his mind. All that rot he always droned on about caring. Sherlock tilted his chin up smoothing his features and he lashed out. “Were you expecting this to last, Sally? That we’d all retire to the country? You and Victor would have children that the three of us would raise together?”

He stalked past her on the stairs. “Grow up.”

Sally caught his trouser leg. “Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare treat this like it was nothing, Sherlock Holmes.”

Sherlock sucked in a sharp breath and stilled. “I tried to warn you what he was doing… You wouldn’t listen to me. I can forgive him his dalliances. As you said, sometimes he wants a boyfriend who will fuck his girlfriend. I can’t give him that. But you won’t forgive him… So I left it. You were happy not knowing. Victor is always safe in his straying. If you cannot forget this happened, then it needs to end, now.”

When his trouser leg was released, Sherlock continued up the stairs.

“You don’t even have a heart, do you, Sherlock?”

“Apparently not.”

\---

Greg Lestrade stood outside the crime scene with Sally and waited on Sherlock. He looked over to her set jaw, the way her eyes were narrowed.

“You never have told me why you hate Sherlock so much. I know it’s not just because he swans in here and shows us up.”

Sally looked over at Greg and arched a brow. “What makes you think it’s not just because he comes in here acting like a pompous arsehole?”

With a look Greg spread his arms. “Do give me a _little_ credit, Sally. I _am_ a detective.”

She shrugged. “I shared a flat with another bloke and him at one point in university. He’s only got worse since then. He’s a bloody psychopath.”

“Right… okay then.”

\---

Sally’s eyes narrowed as Sherlock swanned up to the crime scene. “Hello, freak.”

Sherlock ignored her brusque tone as he spoke, “I’m here to see Detective Inspector Lestrade.”

“Why?”

“I was invited.”

“ _Why_?”

With a sarcastic look and tone Sherlock answered, “I think he wants me to take a look.”

Sally snapped, “Well, you know what I think, don’t you?”

As he lifted the tape and ducked underneath it he looked up, “Always, Sally.” He took a deep breath as he continued, “I even know you didn’t make it home last night.” 

There was a brief look between the two of them and for a moment, if one or the other of them had apologized, things might have been alright. But they went right back to it as they always did, sniping and landing verbal blows… piling on hurt that was years old.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to approach this without vilifying any of them, and I hope I did that. Life is full of situations people go through that make them human, not villains. Sherlock and Sally are pretty antagonistic toward each other in the show and I hope I did a decent job at humanizing a reason.
> 
> On a more personal note, poly relationships are something close to my heart and from experience they can work beautifully... Writing parts of this made me go 'ow' for all of them.


End file.
